As may be known, initialization of an Integrated Circuit (IC) Card includes storing of initialization data inside a non-volatile memory portion of the IC Card. The initialization data is provided from a customer to a provider of IC Cards and is loaded into an initialization device, intended to be connected to the IC Card for transmitting the initialization data.
More particularly, the initialization device may include a set of commands programmed to address the initialization data to the IC Card and for storing such data into the non-volatile memory portion. Since the initialization data may include information associated with the customer, including secret information, it is important to avoid widespread distribution of such data. Both the customer and the provider may read the initialization data because it is provided by the customer, but loaded by the provider into the initialization device.
A first problem occurs when the provider commits the initialization of the IC Cards to a third party, i.e. to a manufacturer of the IC Card, for example, located in a different department with respect to the provider. In fact, since the provider has to transmit the initialization data to the manufacturer, the manufacturer may read the initialization data associated with the customer.
This problem described, for example, with reference to a provider and a manufacturer, typically always occurs when more than one department participates to the development or production of an IC Card and typically requires the initialization of the IC Card to a third party responsible to initialize the IC Card. In fact, the initialization data is prepared from a first department, sent to the department responsible to prepare the initialization device, and then transmitted from the initialization device to the IC Card.
The problem is that of providing a method and a corresponding device for initializing an IC Card without loading the initialization data into the initialization device, so avoiding a transmission of initialization data for programming the initialization device and avoiding a widespread distribution of secret information associated to the customer, overcoming the limits that currently affects the initialization of IC Cards.